Rorqual whales – a family of baleen whales that includes the biggest of the species, the fin and the blue whale – take in an enormous amount of water and small prey during each feeding. In order to maximize each meal, they open their mouths wide and lunge towards the prey. In the process, the […]
Bacteria that break down toxic chemicals found in an abandoned gold mine 
Little life is seen in environments with low oxygen content and high metalloid pollution. The microorganisms that do survive in such extreme conditions are incredibly helpful to scientists, who can use the bacteria’s natural reduction of toxic materials to clean up heavily polluted areas. Such bacteria were recently discovered in an old Manitoba gold mine, […]
Virus shells can help deliver helpful drugs to cancer cells
Virus cells are incredibly efficient at delivering their cargo to the host cells, usually to the host’s detriment. But new research is attempting to utilize this viral trait for the better, by packaging salubrious things into conducive virus shells. Researchers copied the core protein shell of the Bluetongue virus using plant matter, which is a […]
Early increase in brain growth may help determine autism risk in infants
Rapid increase in brain volume in the first year of a baby’s life, when compared to other infants, may help predict an early autism diagnosis. A small neuroimaging study was able to accurately predict the infants who were at a high risk of developing autism by 24 months. To arrive at these predictions, researchers measured […]
Brains at the crossroads: Motor neurons always map out several possibilities
Even if you’re already following a path after coming to a fork in the road, your brain may still be preparing for an alternative scenario. Results of a new study provide evidence that motor neurons are continuously working to translate information from the visual systems into action. Previous research has hinted that the brain’s motor […]
First evidence of a Middle Triassic dinosaur that gave birth to live offspring instead of laying eggs
A new discovery offers proof that an ancient relative to birds and crocodiles gave birth to live young. New research from an international team of paleontologists describes a fossil of a pregnant Dinocephalosaurus – a long-necked, aquatic reptile from the Middle Triassic. The 245- million-year-old archosauromorph carried an embryo inside its rib cage, facing forward. […]
Female flies’ flashy flirtation reveals important information to their mates
A flash of a wing in sunlight contains all that a male green bottle fly looking for love needs to know about its potential mate. Results of a new analysis of female green bottle flies shows that they can communicate their sex, age, and even their level of interest by adjusting their wing beat, or […]
Thanks to climate change, baby African penguins are looking for food in the wrong places
For hundreds of years, young African penguins came of age by travelling long distances to southern Angola and South Africa’s Western Cape in search of food. Certain signs, like lower sea surface temperatures and higher chlorophyll concentrations, have reliably led young penguins to areas abundant in anchovies and sardines. But recent changes in climate and […]
Bust a (scientifically superior) move
Believe it or not, there seems to be a formula for being a good dancer. According to a new study, it’s all about the degree of hip swing and moving thighs and arms in an asymmetrical manner. To distill this formula, researchers asked 39 women to dance to a simple drum beat and recorded their […]
Music for your ears – drugs for your brain?
The same brain chemicals that are responsible for our enjoyment of recreational drugs, sex, and food are also involved in the experience of getting pleasure from listening to music. In order to find out more about the brain’s pleasure circuits’ involvement in music perception, researchers blocked the release of natural opioids in the participants’ brains […]
The switch from smoking to e-cigarettes better for health
E-cigarettes might make for a healthier alternative to smoking after all, according to the results of a first-of-its-kind long-term study. Researchers compared the intake of potentially harmful chemicals in e-cigarette users to that of people using nicotine patches and combustible (regular) cigarettes. Their findings suggest that the switch to e-cigarettes significantly reduced the subjects’ carcinogenic […]
Shift work and physically demanding labour linked to lower fertility in women
Working outside the regular office hours, working irregular shifts and doing heavy lifting at work could lower a woman’s ability to conceive. These are the findings of the first study to ever examine the impact of workplace conditions on a woman’s biological capacity to have a baby. Researchers monitored a number of indicators in 473 […]
SMCC Webinar | Building Resilience to Climate Change: Evidence Based Strategies for Healthier Cities
Climate change is affecting Canada’s weather, changing not only the temperature, but also the quality of the air we breathe. Evidence suggests these changes may pose a serious threat to public health, especially for certain vulnerable populations in urban areas. With over 80% of Canadians living in urban settings, there is an urgent need to […]
For better sleep, spend more time in the sun – even in the winter
Shorter days and cooler temperatures prevent us from spending as much time outdoors in the winter than we do in the summer. But new research suggests that better sleep in the winter requires spending more time outside. Recent data suggest that, thanks to our modern lifestyles, our light exposure in the winter is reduced by […]
Careful, that cool soccer ball trick can cause a concussion
Concussions are a common injury among competitive team sport players, but previous studies have suggested the biggest risk comes from direct head impact with another player or a goal post. A new survey of amateur soccer players shows that heading—deflecting the ball with one’s head—can increase the risk of concussion symptoms. 45% of respondents have […]
A small percentage of genes determine much of our height
How tall we are is largely determined by our genetic makeup, and much of that is inherited. But a recent study reveals that there are 80 genetic variants (alleles) that occur at lower frequency, but have a significant effect on the individual’s height – up to 2 centimetres of height per allele, which is ten […]
